


atmosphere lamp

by littlebmam



Category: Holby City
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, One Shot, That's it, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:22:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26730589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlebmam/pseuds/littlebmam
Summary: That Foxes In Love comic strip about an atmosphere lamp - that's it. A few people on Tumblr mentioned Berena in relation to it so my brain decided it needed to be written.Exactly what it says in the tags: tooth-rotting fluff. Bernie buys a gift for Serena.
Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe
Comments: 16
Kudos: 51





	atmosphere lamp

**Author's Note:**

> In case you haven't seen the comic strip: https://foxes-in-love.tumblr.com/post/630650887865516032

The front door shut with a bang, followed by a rustling of bags being set down, coat and scarf being hung up and boots being toed off and carelessly pushed under the coat rack. Serena’s complaints that one day she was going to stumble over Bernie’s footwear and break her neck hadn’t resulted in Bernie putting them away neatly as Serena had hoped but at least she was now making an effort to keep them out of the way.

“Hey!” Serena called from the sitting room where she had been lounging on the sofa, reading a book for the past hour and a half since Bernie left early in the evening to go shopping. “What took you so long?”

Serena heard Bernie making her way down the hallway, shopping bags rustling in her hands, past the sitting room door into the kitchen.

“Oh, I got a little sidetracked,” came Bernie’s slightly breathless reply as she walked by.

Bernie’s obviously stealthy behaviour gave Serena the sense that she was trying to hide something from her. But not in a deceptive kind of way, that wasn’t Bernie’s style. More in a ‘I saw a puppy and I had to get it so, surprise, we now have a dog’ kind of way which unfortunately didn’t offer much consolation to Serena. Bernie hadn’t gone so far as to bring a pet home without discussing it with Serena first. Not yet, anyway, but she did have a good number of surprises under her belt.

At the very beginning of their relationship, before they had officially moved in together, she had come by Serena’s place one evening after work, carrying a box which made a clinking noise with each step Bernie took. In it was a set of handmade designer wine glasses which, Bernie had later admitted with a shy smile, had reminded her of Serena so she’d decided to get them for her. Serena had found them a little extravagant and a far cry from the simple, traditional glasses she already owned but had soon grown very fond of them. She hasn’t used her old glasses since.

Another time she had surprised Serena with a set of leather handcuffs with a soft leopard print lining. They hadn’t really discussed the particular activity involving said item beforehand but at the sight of Bernie’s gift Serena had been more than a little excited to try it out.

Just last week, on her day off while Serena was stuck on an early shift, Bernie had taken it upon herself to build a new flower bed for geraniums and sweet alyssum by the kitchen door. The sight of it had brought a tear to Serena’s eye but if anyone asked, she’d say it was mostly because of the day she’d had and not because Bernie obviously cared enough about things important to her to notice and remember when she talked about them.

But the fact that Bernie’s love language consisted mostly of non verbal expressions didn’t mean she always hit the nail on the head. There had been a handful of occasions her attempts hadn’t had the desired outcome.

One Valentine’s Day Bernie had decided to go all out on the traditions of the day. The candle lit dinner (thankfully at home and not at some restaurant with tacky decorations) was delightful and so was the chocolate dessert, wine and flowers (not red roses but a gorgeous bouquet of pastel chrysanthemums). The classic Valentine’s Day gift on the other hand – not quite so delightful. Bernie had gotten Serena what was really a beautiful set of lingerie, as long as it was displayed on a mannequin that is. Of course Bernie had gotten Serena’s size correct but that was it.

Once Serena had put the scraps of cloth on, the mood of the entire evening was gone. The lingerie was uncomfortable, scratchy and unflattering, making Serena feel insecure in both her age and her body. The evening had ended in tears, Serena’s because she was feeling frumpy and unattractive, no matter what Bernie said or did to try and convince her otherwise, and Bernie’s because she had taken to self-recriminating for making Serena feel bad about herself.

There’s also the time Bernie had wanted to surprise Serena after a three day conference in Scotland. She’d purchased new bookshelves to accommodate both Serena’s and her own books after officially moving into Serena’s house. That had resulted in a complete chaos as Bernie had failed, and probably not even tried, to replicate the meticulous system in which the books had been placed on Serena’s old shelves. Serena, tired from both the conference and the travel, had been annoyed and in retrospect probably over-reacted. Bernie had stayed away from any attempts at making Serena’s house _their_ house for months.

Serena got up, setting down the book she’d been reading, her interest well and truly piqued and ready to find out what Bernie had stumbled upon and brought home now. She made her way into the kitchen where Bernie was busy putting the shopping away.

“So…” Serena drawled out, leaning against the doorway, momentarily distracted by the small expanse of skin exposed on Bernie’s lower back as the woman in question reached up to stock up the cupboard meant for their coffee supply.

Bernie, startled by Serena’s presence, turned around too quickly and hit her head with a heavy thunk against the open cupboard door.

“Ow, shit!” Bernie rubbed her temple.

“Oh, poor darling,” Serena cooed half-jokingly as she moved over to Bernie’s side. “How on earth did you make it to Major with that level on inelegance?”

“Oi! Less of the sass, I’m injured,” Bernie exclaimed, swatting Serena on the arm softly.

“And yet you pick a fight not only with kitchen furniture but the caregiver as well,” Serena tutted disapprovingly, the seriousness of her words greatly undermined by the smile on her face.

“I don’t feel exactly cared for right now,” Bernie mumbled, still rubbing her temple, an almost childish pout on her lips.

“Want me to kiss it better?” Serena suggested with a quirk of an eyebrow.

“No, you’re being mean.”

Serena ignored Bernie’s response and pulled her closer.

“Here,” she pulled Bernie’s hand away, linking their fingers in the process, and pressed a lingering kiss to the slightly reddened skin.

“See, better already,” Serena said as she pulled away, then pressed another kiss to Bernie’s lips before moving away.

“Now, I’m going to put the rest of the shopping away so you don’t cause further damage to yourself or anything else-” Serena got cut off by Bernie.

“No, I’ll help.”

“No,” Serena said, already reaching for the half empty bag on the counter Bernie had been busy emptying when she was so rudely interrupted. “What you can do is get your surprise for me ready.”

“Wha-”

“Trust me, I know when you’re trying to hide something, Ms Wolfe.”

“Oh.” Bernie sounded genuinely disheartened by the fact Serena could read her so well.

She reached for her purse she had set down on one of the kitchen chairs and pulled out a cardboard box she had somehow managed to squeeze into it. Bernie took the box and left the kitchen to set it up in the sitting room, hoping Serena would like it.

Once Serena had finished putting everything away and checked the timer on the slow cooker to see how much longer it took before the beef stew was finished, she went to look for Bernie and whatever it was she had bought.

Serena stopped dead in her tracks as she was about to enter the sitting room. Bernie had turned off the lights aside from the dim lamps on the wall. There was a flickering atmosphere lamp on the coffee table in front of the sofa, giving the entire room a glow which could naturally be achieved only if there was a large fireplace or an actual camp fire in the middle of the room.

Serena didn’t notice Bernie getting up from the sofa and coming over to stand next to her until she felt her partner’s arms wrap around her waist.

“What do you think?” Bernie asked quietly, eyes fixed on Serena’s following the light competing with the shadows on the walls.

“It’s beautiful!” Serena said, awed by the comfort that was oozing from the space around her simply because of the way light danced around in it.

“Very beautiful.”

Serena turned her head to press a kiss to Bernie’s cheek but was surprised to discover Bernie’s gaze was fixed on herself.

“You’re not looking at it,” Serena said but didn’t sound all that accusing, the warmth in Bernie’s eyes making her insides do somersaults.

“I like looking at you looking at it more,” Bernie said, pressing a kiss to Serena’s cheek instead.

“That’s it? That’s the only reason you got it?” Serena asked, a smile teasing her lips.

“The main reason,” Bernie said, her hold on Serena tightening.

“And the others?”

“Summer’s approaching and soon it’s going to be too warm to light the fireplace. Thought this would be the next best thing,” Bernie shrugged, looking almost embarrassed for admitting she took it as her personal mission to provide Serena with things that brought her comfort.

Serena didn’t know what to say, wasn’t sure if she could even if she did because of the lump which had suddenly taken residence in her throat. Instead she turned in Bernie’s arms and kissed her to show just how much she truly appreciated Bernie and her non-verbal love language.

**Author's Note:**

> There you go.  
> Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
